Externship Opportunities with the Department of the Interior Solicitor’s Office (Portland)

McCarty Classroom Complex - Classroom 6

Externship Opportunities with the Department of the Interior Solicitor’s Office in Portland. Two attorneys from the office will be coming to campus to discuss externship opportunities, including an overview of what types of work the office does.

US Department of the Interior, Solicitor’s Office, Externship

Testimonial from Veronica Keithley

“Are you interested in working in a slow-paced office that delves the philosophical depths of esoteric legal questions? Neither was I. So I externed with the US Department of the Interior, Solicitor’s Office, full time for a semester my third year of law school. My externship provided the substantive knowledge, legal skill development, and confidence to prepare me for future practice. In this externship, you will find a diversity of projects and experiences available only through the dynamic, energetic, thought-provoking environment of the Solicitor’s Office.

Externing at the Solicitor’s Office prepares you for practice. First, externs research and assist in advising on diverse, relevant natural resource issues, from grazing leases to CERCLA to Indian law matters. The diversity of the law allows externs to gain detailed knowledge of statutes, regulations, and precedent. Second, externs develop practical legal skills. I learned to research and apply the law under the real time constraints that the attorneys faced, whether I had two weeks or fifteen minutes to reach thoughtful, reasoned opinions. Finally, externs gain confidence that allows them to evaluate critically their research and advocate for their legal conclusions. The attorneys and clients value multiple opinions and rely on externs to voice reasoned answers based on precedent. Throughout my externship, the attorneys sought my opinion on factual situations under a statute I researched. Their reliance on my opinion built my confidence and helped me see the wider aspects of related legal matters. The skills and experiences from this externship will make you a better student and future attorney.

I wholeheartedly recommend externing with the Department of the Interior, Solicitor’s Office. You will work with thoughtful, intelligent, generous attorneys and mentors who are experts in their fields and advocates for their externs. You will work on actual client concerns and can have substantial interaction with clients. And you will grow from the increasing complexity of your projects. I encourage you to accept the challenge and benefits of working hard and thinking creatively as an extern with the Department of the Interior, Solicitor’s Office. “